Kegerreis’ window-breaking 3-run HR seals Franklin Regional’s win over Latrobe
By:
Friday, May 4, 2018 | 8:12 PM
Louis Kegerreis reached into his back pocket and pulled out his souvenir baseball for all to see. It was sliced, slit and scratched, like a cat's play toy — just the way the Franklin Regional freshman liked it.
“Pretty cool,” Kegerreis said.
After he heard coaches picked some glass shards out of the ball before giving it to him, his face lit up.
“That's awesome,” he added.
Franklin Regional did to Latrobe what Kegerreis did to that baseball.
Kegerreis put a three-run blast through the window of a community building behind the left-field fence Friday at Haymaker Park to cap a walk-off, mercy-ruled blowout of Latrobe on senior day in Murrysville.
Kegerreis drove in five runs, and sophomore catcher Bryce Harper added four RBIs as Franklin Regional throttled the Wildcats, 15-0, in four innings for a season sweep in Section 3-5A.
The Panthers (13-3, 11-2) have won six straight, including a 2-0 upset over No. 2 Laurel Highlands, which they trail by one game for first place.
“We had a 5-0 week,” Kegerreis said. “(Laurel Highlands) was a big win for our confidence.”
As for the home run: “I just wanted to go up and hit the ball hard. It felt good off the bat. I felt like it had a chance to get out.”
Latrobe (8-8, 7-7) also was looking for its chance to get out of the park after a brutal day. Franklin Regional sent 14 batters to the plate in the second inning, when it scored 10 runs.
Latrobe committed a pair of errors as the Panthers batted around.
“It was rough today,” Latrobe coach Matt Basciano said. “This is not what you want heading into the playoffs. Franklin Regional did a nice job of taking advantage of mistakes. They're playing their best going into the playoffs.”
Andrew Muraco went 3 for 3 for the Panthers and also was the winning pitcher. He limited the Wildcats to four hits, and his defense helped set the tone with a 4-6-3 double play to end the second.
Jake Williams, Kegerreis and Harper each had two hits in the win. Harper, a Virginia Tech recruit, added a two-run single.
Zach Seaman drove in two.
“This was the most complete game of the year for us,” Panthers coach Bobby Saddler said. “Our guys did such a good job with their approach at the plate. We've been working on that, and it's coming to fruition. It was awesome.”
Kegerreis added a two-run single down the third-base line. Michael Klingensmith and Harper each ripped a two-run doubles. Harper's deep shot to the gap in right-center got slightly caught up in the wind, but it plated two to make the score 12-0.
Latrobe used three pitchers with starter Andy Bradford taking the loss.
After back-to-back singles in the fourth by Williams and Muraco, Kegerreis cleared the fence and triggered the 15-run rule.
Franklin Regional hopes to carry the momentum into the postseason.
“We knew how good we could be,” Saddler said. “We knew we are an elite team if we play to that level. We can't just show up and expect to win.”
Said Basciano, whose team won WPIAL and PIAA titles last season: “Bobby always has a great team. They fought back from some injuries early in the year and they're back now. They might be a tough team to beat.”
Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.
Tags: Franklin Regional
More High School Baseball
• Hampton trio to play Division I baseball next season• GCC baseball coach Reist organizes fundraiser for team, less-privileged children
• Rivals from North Allegheny, Pine-Richland to join forces at Penn State
• Shaler Area’s Rispoli commits to play baseball at Dayton
• Hampton selects Long as new baseball coach
